Schlager am Vachwerk

Schlager on the Werra Riverbank

Vacha is located in the southern Wartburg district, directly on the Werra river and on the state border with Hesse. This location — the Werra riverbank, at the transition between Thuringia and Hesse — forms the scenic backdrop for the 'Vachwerk' festival grounds. Vachwerk is a meadow by the river that has been established as an open-air event space for several years and is regularly used for major Schlager, folk music, and country events. 'Schlager am Vachwerk' is now the most established event in this series — presented by Radio Schlagerparadies in cooperation with the travel channel sonnenklar.TV.

The Artists 2026

The artist lineup for the fourth edition is a cross-section of the German Schlager scene. Semino Rossi (Tyrolean Schlager singer, multi-award winner with Gold records) and Olaf der Flipper (frontman of Die Flippers, folk music legend) represent the older generation. Mike Leon Grosch, Christian Lais, and Norman Langen represent the middle Schlager generation with chart and touring experience. Mitch Keller, Neon, and Daniel Ceylan represent the younger pop-Schlager. The bands Sunrise and SchlagerGold round off the program.

New for 2026 — Longer Show Blocks

A new feature for the fourth edition: longer show blocks per artist. Instead of the often-usual 15 to 20-minute slots at Schlager festivals, artists in 2026 will have ample time for a real concert experience. The organizers justify this by the fans' desire to experience their favorite artists not just briefly, but 'properly' — with several songs in a row, inter-stage commentary, and audience interaction.

Radio Schlagerparadies and sonnenklar.TV

The organizer is Radio Schlagerparadies, Germany's most popular Schlager radio station, in cooperation with the travel channel sonnenklar.TV. This station cooperation makes 'Schlager am Vachwerk' more than just a regional open air: parts of the show will be broadcast on the radio, and reports and interviews will be featured on sonnenklar.TV. This gives the festival nationwide reach, bringing significant attention to the rather small Vacha festival setting.

The Accompanying Program: 'Vacha Celebrates!'

'Schlager am Vachwerk' is part of the 'Vacha feiert!' (Vacha Celebrates!) weekend (August 21–22, 2026), featuring a Ballermann Open Air on Friday and Schlager am Vachwerk on Saturday. This extends the festival into a two-day music weekend. Regional Thuringian cuisine, street food stalls, and ample seating along the Werra riverbank complement the event.